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Saturday, 10 November 2012

Mexico, land of Nazis and anti-Semites

Mexico would seem like an unlikely place to harbour Nazi
sympathizers. After all, the majority of the population is mestizo – of mixed indigenous and European heritage – with only a
small percentage of population being of “pure” European descent.

Outside of these groups, there is modest diversity. About 5%
of the population speaks an indigenous language, with double that number
identifying as indigenous. There are also descendants of Sephardic Jews who
came with the earliest colonists, and “crypto-Jews” who settled in the Northern
Gulf region. These Jews had been hiding
their identity since 1492, when Muslims and Jews were expelled from Spain
during the “re-conquest” of Christianity and the expulsion of the Moors.

As evidence of how close this history remains, the town of
Matamoros, Tamaulipas, across from Brownsville, Texas, literally translates as “murder
the Moors”.

Over the past centuries Jews were excluded – and, to some
extent, excluded themselves – from much of the dominant Mexican culture, finding
success as professionals and business people. As well, in Mexico, unlike in
Canada and the United States, Jews are not well represented in the political
sphere.

Mexicans, however, are aware of their existence, and many
hold on to views that can only be described as racist and ignorant. These harsh
views are in fact more in evidence among those Mexicans of European descent
than among the mestizo population, though
there is a subculture of
mestizo skinheads that glorifies Nazism, much as we seen in the United States, Canada, and parts of
Europe.

Flag for the Partido Nacional
Socialista de México

Anecdotes can help elucidate some contemporary attitudes in
Mexico.

Earlier this year, Mexico was transfixed by the story of a
young disabled girl who had apparently gone missing from the home of her wealthy
parents in Mexico City. There was no word from kidnappers, and the child would
have been unable to walk off on her own. Some days later, she was found dead in
her room, and her mother, Lynette Farah, described in the Mexican press as a “wealthy
lawyer”, was charged with murder. As the story was breaking, an educated
Mexican of European descent told La
politica that the horrific event was believable given that the mother was
Jewish.

In fact, Ms. Farah is a Christian of Lebanese descent. I’m
not sure if there are any racist theories about that particular religious and ethnic
group, but conspiracy theorists might want to take note that the richest man in
the world, the Mexican Carlos Slim, is a Christian of Lebanese descent.

Here in Guadalajara, the anti-Semitism is hardly overt, but
it does crop up in strange places. For example, a few blocks off the central
square in Tlaquepaque, the colonial
neighbourhood to the south of town, there is a store selling “hunting and fishing
supplies” that appears to be more devoted to the
glorification of Nazi Germany. Outside the store is the owner’s Volkswagen 181, complete
with a stylized Balkenkreuz Iron
Cross and the Swastika with palm tree insignia for Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Inside, the
store is plastered with Nazi flags.

Behind the counter: Hitler and Madonna

A brief conversation with the owner, a man of Spanish
descent who shall remain nameless, went like this.

“Why are you such a fan of Hitler?”

“He knew how to keep order.”

“But World War II was a disaster. And he killed six million
Jews.”

“He didn’t kill six million Jews.”

“He didn’t?”

“No, three million died. And that was because Germany couldn’t
feed them. All the supplies were going to the troops.”

“But why support someone who killed millions of people?”

“Half of Guadalajara is controlled by the Jews.”

“It is?”

“Yes. There is no such thing as a poor Jew.”

“What?”

“I am not against the Jews. They take care of themselves.
Look at their ties to Israel. We in Mexico are a former Spanish colony. Does Spain
help us? Do we help Spain? The Jews stick together. I admire that. We should,
too.”

My excuse for being there was that I was interested in an air
pistol. We waited for a few police officers to pass, and I took a couple shots
at the empty building across the street. Not bad.

4 comments:

It would have been of interest to know whether the store's owner is mestizo, Indian or Spanish. Considering Spain's history, a Spanish owner would make some sort of sense.

For reasons that God only knows, Japan has many anti-semites, too. A WWII holdover? There was a story about a Hitler cafe in India a few years ago. But, I don't recall the owner was explicitly anti-semitic.

Hi Sykes - Yes, the post states that the owner was "a man of Spanish descent who shall remain nameless". Anti-semites in Japan, and a "Hitler cafe" in India!?...Strange days indeed...Thanks for reading/commenting.

I am of Sephardic descent and I am originally from Nuevo leon Mx and indigenous Mexicans don't like us. When I tell them where I'm from they immediately start telling me I'm no better than them. How my people killed their people and they also at times refuse to acknowledge our existance.

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